Vulcan vs BrandGuard vs O'Hagin vs Embers OutFour ember vents. Which one goes where?

There isn't one best vent for every opening. In NIST's 2025 high-heat tests, baffle vents like BrandGuard held up better than honeycomb vents like Vulcan. On the roof, low-profile vents with 1/8-inch metal mesh, like O'Hagin Fire & Ice, are the usual choice, and the code allows mesh there. On an existing home, 1/8-inch metal mesh behind the vents you have is the cheapest upgrade. Whatever you buy, check the exact model on the State Fire Marshal's Building Materials Listing first.

Both makers say their vents are tested to ASTM E2886, the standard California's code points to. They work differently. Vulcan uses honeycomb cells with a coating that swells shut in heat. BrandGuard uses overlapping baffles with fine stainless mesh behind them. In NIST's 2025 tests at heat far above the standard test, the baffle designs held up better. BrandGuard publishes retail prices on its store; Vulcan doesn't publish prices.

For most homes in a fire hazard zone, yes. A 2024 California study put installed costs at about $53 for a small round eave vent up to about $421 for a gable vent. After the 2025 LA fires, IBHS found that only 7.8% of 247 homes it inspected had proper fire-safe vents. Research on California fire losses ranks vent screens among the most consistently important features. Vents can also count toward insurance discounts under California's Safer from Wildfires rules. No vent is a guarantee, so they work best alongside a clear Zone 0 and sealed gaps.

Somewhat. Open area drops from about 81% with 1/4-inch mesh to about 75% at 1/8 inch and 71% at 1/16 inch. Listed ember vents usually have less open area than plain mesh, so some homes need an extra vent to keep the ventilation the code requires (for crawlspaces, 1 square foot of vent per 150 square feet of floor). In Southern California's dry climate, moisture problems are unlikely unless the roof leaks.

On an existing home, 1/8-inch noncombustible metal mesh is the cheapest fix, and IBHS accepts it for Wildfire Prepared Home. Never use plastic or fiberglass screen. For new homes and rebuilds in fire hazard zones, California's 2026 code only allows the mesh option on roof vents. Wall, eave, gable and foundation vents need a listed or ASTM E2886-tested vent.

O'Hagin says its ridge and off-ridge roof vents can't be tested under ASTM E2886, so they meet California's code through the roof-vent rule instead: noncombustible, corrosion-resistant mesh between 1/16 and 1/8 inch. That path only applies to roof vents, which is where O'Hagin vents go.